


My Sweet Gome

by MyHeartBeating



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Family, Fanfiction, Gen, Humor, Shichinintai | Band of Seven
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2019-11-21 13:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18142538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyHeartBeating/pseuds/MyHeartBeating
Summary: When an attempt to recreate Kagome into a dangerous weapon goes wrong, the Band of Seven are left with a handful of diapers, tears and sleepless nights.https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11277929/1/My-Sweet-Gome





	1. Failed Concoction

The day started out like any other; the sun was well high in the sky, burning its blazing rays upon a few mercenaries standing outside an open field of many assorted flowers. Their weapons were sheathed, though their blades were well coated from their previous adventures of terrorizing the innocent.

None spoke a word, their silence stilled as their eyes merely gazed blinking at a small infant girl sitting upon the grass before them. There were tears in the child's eyes, her screams loud enough to startle even the most curious villagers that might have wandered through the train to the next village over.

Bankotsu, the leader of this band of mercenaries, merely held his large halberd over his right shoulder, his cerulean eyes watching the crying baby with an air of nonchalance. "Renkotsu…" He called out to his comrade beside him.

The youngest of the band suddenly gulped at the sound of his leader's voice. "Yes, big brother?"

Closing his eyes, he lifted the halberd a few inches from his shoulder before settling it down, and he repeated this process a few more times before arching a brow at the younger man with small eyes. "I thought our plan was to make this girl fight on our behalf using her powers to gather the sacred jewel fragments…"

Renkotsu gulped. "Uh … well … it seems my concoctions were off a bit … but I'm sure it's reversible…"

"Aw! Look at her!" Jakotsu, one of the closest and feminine brothers to Bankotsu, squealed at the child. His eyes sparkled as he knelt before the baby girl, a once thought nemesis before and a cutie now. "I like her this way better!" She cooed, lifting the crying baby off the ground. "Suikotsu! Here look!"

As Jakotsu held the baby up to the mercenary with wild hair and eyes, he flashed his bladed hands at the child, whose eyes grew wide with fright. "Keep her away from me! You know how I despise children!" He spat, and at his tone, Kagome cried louder to which Jakotsu frowned.

"Geeze! You and your children preferences!" Jakotsu replied cooing at the child once more to calm her down, though from Suikotsu's glare as well as the other members beside Jakotsu, Kagome felt an onslaught of renewed tears.

Bankotsu sighed. "Well this is troublesome. How do you plan to fix this Renkotsu?"

Renkotsu crossed his arms and turned his gaze to look at the child and back to his older brother. Strange. He was sure he had done the potion correctly, so perhaps there was a way to reverse the spell. "There is a way to reverse it. Allow me to look back at my notes at the cave. After I figure out what went wrong, then we should be good."

Satisfied with this, Bankotsu nodded. "Well that sounds good." Looking back over at Jakotsu, the leader felt a sudden twitch develop under his eye as he walked over to Jakotsu before swinging his arm around his shoulder. "You know … it might not be a bad idea to get her some clothes..."

At this, Jakotsu's eyes sparkled. "Oh, big brother! Does this mean we can keep her like this for a while? I've always wanted a little sister!" So many thoughts flew around the mercenary's head. He wanted to dress the baby girl in so many cute outfits, especially in his favorite color, pink. With a little bit of accessories and some makeup, he was sure she would be the cutest baby in the Feudal Era. With that thought in mind, Jakotsu suddenly walked off, holding the baby in the air as he spun around in small circles, much to a certain brother's annoyance.

"Don't tell me we have to babysit!" Suikotsu bit out before raising his bladed gloves in front of him. "If I have to hear her cry one more time, I—"

Bankotsu glared at him. "And you'll do what? Why are you making such a big deal out of Renkotsu's fixable mistake? We have Inuyasha's wench. Soon enough we'll have her work for us." He could already see it etched into his mind. The very thought of having Kagome become a killing warrior just as he and his brothers brought a grin to his face. It was very likely Kagome would kill her lover, Inuyasha and bring great pain to all her friends that stood in their way. It was also very likely that they would succeed in this; after all, Kagome was a great weakness to her friends and it was doubtful they would try to harm her.

Fortunately, they were well downwind from Inuyasha and his friends, so following Kagome's scent would prove futile. After all, Kagome was thought to have been going home after all, at least, that's what Bankotsu remembered after overhearing the priestess tell her friends. They had easily snatched her up in the forest near an old well and from there; they had brought her miles away from the village her friends stayed at.

The only issue at hand was to simply wait for Renkotsu to correct his mistake so that their plan could easily go underway. For now, he and four brothers would have to put up with a crying toddler with an ability to sense the Sacred Jewel.

They were men that journeyed but never stayed in one place for too long. They were used to camping outdoors and slaying innocents as they passed through different villages. There had been times where they had agreed to assassinate an army of soldiers in return for much money and a few castles here and there.

But since they now had a baby on their hands, at least for a short time, they hoped, everyone except Jakotsu, they decided they would rest within a cave carved into a giant mountain overlooking multiple forests below. Fortunately, the small path they dwelled upon was livable enough with a small stream down a way to wash up in. Unfortunately, Naraku was unaware of their intension to use the priestess to their own evil purposes, though they were sure the man hidden behind a bamboo pelt was well aware by now; Naraku had eyes in many places it seemed.

Entering into the cave with Suikotsu following along behind him, the two brothers caught sight of Jakotsu directly ahead, sorting through his chest full of treasure from their last attack upon a castle. Multiple jewels and necklaces were scattered upon the stone at their feet and Kagome sat there touching the gems with curious interest, her tears dried up. After a second glance at the child, they saw she was adorned in a bright pink kimono with a large red bow tied behind her back, the sleeves too long as they dragged upon the ground.

"Jakotsu, what are you doing?" Suikotsu asked, leaning himself against the cave wall with his arms crossed as Bankotsu simply sat down to pour himself a small cup of sake from a large jar situated across from them.

A fist full of coins flew behind Jakotsu and onto the floor, and Kagome squealed happily as she crawled around to clumsily grab the golden coins. After a few moments of emptying the entire box, with it held above his head, Jakotsu threw it to the side and grasped a small jeweled butterfly hairclip. "This is it!"

Suikotsu blinked and to his annoyance, he watched the mercenary pushed aside Kagome's hair before placing the butterfly hairpin into her hair. Oh no. He knew where this was going.

"Aw I knew it was perfect! You wear it better than I do!" Jakotsu cooed, holding Kagome once more in his arms as he sat there with his legs crossed. "See? Our Kimono's almost match!"

"Jakotsu, I think you're getting a little carried away. She isn't going to be like that forever," Suikotsu replied with a shake of his head.

The said mercenary stuck his tongue out at the doctor. "So, what? It's not every day we get to take care of a child…" As he looked at the baby's face, he couldn't help but hold her closely to him. "Kind of makes me feel bad for all the kids we've killed, you know?"

"Not really," Was Suikotsu's reply.

Pulling his cup of sake away from his lips, Bankotsu looked at the child before looking back at Jakotsu. "Well she certainly can't wear those weird priestess clothes anymore, so a change in clothing would be better. If Jakotsu wants to dress her up, let him. Jakotsu, you have full responsibility of the kid."

Jakotsu's eyes brightened at this. "Oh, big brother! Do you really mean it? I can keep her?"

He smirked but nodded anyway. "Sure. You watch her and we can fight those who stand in our way."

Hearing this, Jakotsu pouted. "What? That's not fair! What about all the good looking guys out there? Can't I at least play with some of them before killing them?"

Suikotsu laughed. "Face it Jakotsu. You're a mother now. You have a big responsibility, at least until Renkotsu turns her back to her original age."

That was even worst! "But she was terrible when she was older! She even stole Inuyasha away from me! Those fuzzy ears could have been mine several times…" His eyes watered as he stared at the smiling child in his lap, tugging onto his open kimono innocently.

The sound of footsteps from deep within the cave caught their attention suddenly and at the sight of their companion, Renkotsu, they looked up.

Renkotsu cleared his voice. "It won't be a problem turning her back and recreating the potion."

Bankotsu and Suikotsu smiled at this.

"However, there's just the matter of gathering these ingredients from off the mountain," Renkotsu concluded.

Bankotsu blinked. "You mean you've run out already? How long will it take to find them?"

"Well we are miles away from the spot in which I normally gather the herbs and sorts," He replied sweat dropping. "At most, it could take at least four days traveling on foot and at least a few hours to concoct two potions."

There were a couple deep sighs that followed after this, but Bankotsu nodded in understanding. Suikotsu on the other hand wasn't too happy about this and sent the child a glare, but she only waved at him much to his agitation. Oh, how he hated children, though the doctor inside him could only sweetly smile at the girl.

Renkotsu once again cleared his throat and brought all eyes back to him in full attention. "Though it may seem like the situation bringing much delay to our plan, I do not think this plan is entirely too bad."

"What are you saying, Renkotsu?" The leader asked with perked interest. "The priestess was turned into a baby; does that not defeat the purpose of what we had originally wanted?"

"Well yes and no. After careful consideration while I was looking through my notes, I realized something. She is already a child once more; surely her memories of her friends are gone, correct?"

Jakotsu scratched his head thoughtfully. "Yeah, that does make sense."

Renkotsu smiled at this. "Our solution is solved. Since she has become a baby once more, she is capable of retaining new memories. Since she already has the ability to sense the fragments of the jewel, we can easily raise her into something more than just a priestess."

Jakotsu gasped! "We could raise her…to be a princess!" She cooed, hugging Kagome close to him.

"No, you idiot!" Suikotsu spat. "He's saying we can easily train her to become one of us. We don't need another princess, thank you very much!"

Bankotsu wasn't buying it, however. "And how many years would that take, Renkotsu? If we wait that long, then our opportunity to strike back would be in vain."

"Quite the contrary, big brother," Renkotsu smirked. "In fact, it may only take a couple weeks if not a month. I need only to gather the ingredients off this mountain and little by little we can make her drink it. In time, she will slowly grow with age and with new memories."

Now that was definitely better news. Bankotsu smirked at this. "We could train her as well and put her powers to better use. I can only imagine how Inuyasha would react."

Though Jakotsu had been somewhat doubtful to Renkotsu's idea of aging Kagome back to her original form, mainly due to the priestess's clingy nature with his beautiful Inuyasha, he felt more confident about raising Kagome differently. "Soon Inuyasha will be all mine!" He squealed delightfully before touching his nose to Kagome's. "You won't try to steal those fuzzy ears from me, will you? You won't?"

The three brothers sat there, watching Jakotsu fan girl over the baby girl who had once been a nemesis of theirs. It seemed Jakotsu had gotten himself a little too carried away with the girl, but then again, it didn't matter too much. After all, they would soon bring down Naraku and Inuyasha.


	2. Getting Acquainted

There was a high-pitched feminine squeal that escaped from Jakotsu's mouth an hour after the news from Renkotsu. Since it seemed Kagome would be staying with them a little bit longer as a baby, Jakotsu had taken advantage of the situation to grow closer to the child. As Bankotsu sat off to the side and Suikotsu and Renkotsu prepared to take off down the mountain, Jakotsu had busied himself with Kagome's hair, combing it and untangling the knots until it shined.

"Oh Gome, you are a cutie!" He cooed. In the end, he decided that he liked the child's hair down, since her hair only reached her mid-back. It was not yet long enough to bring into a messy knot like his. From beside him, he grabbed a small seashell before opening it to reveal a sticky light pink substance before dabbing a small bit onto her small lips. "Pink suits you much better than red."

It was at this point that Suikotsu walked in with Renkotsu beside him. They were each prepared with a small bundle of food and medicine for their trip. They would be absent from the mountain for a short time, at least a few days at most, but the absence didn't bother either of them; in fact, they were ready to leave the mountain if only to walk on new grounds.

While Suikotsu stood a short distance from where Jakotsu was dolling up the small child, he couldn't help but sneer in dissatisfaction. "If you keep that up Jakotsu, she'll look like a geisha child."

Looking back at the two standing near the entrance of the cave, Bankotsu remained seated and eyed his two brothers. "So, you're heading out?"

Renkotsu nodded. "We should only be gone a few days. By then we should have the necessary ingredients," He replied.

"You as well, Suikotsu?" Bankotsu asked.

He sneered. "It's beginning to smell funky in this place. I need some fresh air and a change of scenery. Besides if something should happen to Renkotsu, I'll be there. It's been while since I've killed anyway."

Jakotsu only turned his head to stare at Suikotsu before frowning. He knew he only wanted to leave because Kagome was with them. Looking back at the child, he grinned. "Gome, tell big brother Renkotsu and idiot brother Suikotsu bye bye!" He waved.

Suikotsu glared at his brother, but at the sight of the small girl waving back with a wide grin, he clenched his hands tightly.

"Bye Bye it it…" Kagome called out and it was enough to bring laughter out of Renkotsu.

As soon as the two brothers exited the cave, Jakotsu turned back to the small girl sitting in his lap. It seemed she was getting used to staying with them and it made his heart melt when she smiled at him and his brothers.

While Bankotsu quietly drank his sake, Kagome glanced down at Jakotsu's kimono before tugging on it, much to his surprise. As far as the baby knew, Jakotsu was her caretaker and caregiver, a mother figure to be exact.

Jakotsu shook his head at her. "Gome, you silly girl. What are you doing to mommy Jakotsu's kimono?" Yet before he could fix his clothing, the small child placed her hand upon his masculine and well-defined chest before resting her lips up his pert nipple. She bit down softly which caused Jakotsu to squeal painfully.

While he had been quietly sipping his drink, the leader of the Band of Seven immediately spat out the liquid. He fell back onto his hands laughing at the sight and at Jakotsu's reaction.

Pulling the child away, Jakotsu tenderly rubbed his nipple, a small tear nearly escaping his bright eyes. "Oh my gosh! That seriously hurt!" Looking down at his chest, he saw that it was swollen and red and he could faintly see the small bite marks Kagome had done to him.

Bankotsu snickered. "What's wrong? I thought you liked a little pain?"

There was a moment where Jakotsu glared at his older brother before immediately fixing his clothes. "Not like that!" Staring back down at the child looking up at him curious as to why he had pulled her away from him, he grasped her shoulders softly. "What's wrong, Gome? Are you hungry? Sorry, mommy doesn't have any nutritious milk for you."

"Should we find a woman that has milk?" Bankotsu asked. "What a bother…" He sighed. He didn't feel like taking in another person just so they could use her milk to feed this baby. Then again, he could always use someone to pour his drink.

However, Jakotsu strongly refused to allow such a person to come into their family. "I would never let some wench feed my Gome!" Yet he knew the child would need milk. After all, didn't all mothers breast feed their children? Looking at Kagome, he felt pity for the child and he suddenly and dramatically ran his hands over his chest. "If only I had more to offer…Why must I have been born into this body?" He asked aloud but Bankotsu only took another sip of his drink.

"Placing the cup at his side, Bankotsu thought for a moment. "How about a cow? Saw some up the mountain just yesterday," He replied. In fact, just a mile down the rocky terrain was a small pasture with many cattle grazing.

"That's it!" Jakotsu gasped. Standing up, he was about to head out of the cave but before doing so, he handed Kagome to Bankotsu, much to his surprise. "Here, support her back. Make sure she doesn't fall."

Bankotsu felt the need to roll his eyes. "Well aren't you just mother of the year."

Smirking, Jakotsu merely flipped his hair over his shoulder. "Jealous?" He asked, and he laughed at the look his older brother sent him. After placing Kagome into his lap, Jakotsu ran out of the cave with a small wooden bucket, leaving Bankotsu to stare at the baby now known as Gome. For a moment the two stared at one another.

"Well Gome, looks like I won't be getting that revenge any time soon. You know, the time you shot your arrow at my arm?" He questioned and at her smiling expression he only sighed. "Yeah I'm still a little sore about that but—" A sudden tug upon his braid urged his utmost attention onto the child. "Hey! Aren't you listening?"

There was a giggle that escaped her and she tugged a little more on his braid, watching some of the hair slip out of its almost perfect style. To his surprise, she suddenly stuck his braid into her mouth, her drool coating it much to his disgust.

It was a little too much for Bankotsu who immediately swiped it from her reach. "That's not for you to slobber on!" He chastised.

A small whimper escaped Kagome as she pulled back on the braid. "Mine!"

He blinked before pulling back on his braid once more, but she was holding on quite easily. "Many you have a strong grip. Give it back!"

"Mine!"

"It's not yours!" He demanded and this time he successfully breed his braid from the child. "Listen, I don't let just anyone touch my hair. That's reserved only for those close to me, you got that?"

A small pout formed upon Kagome's lip and as the triumphant smirk disappeared from the mercenary, he gulped when he saw small tears begin to form in her eyes. Unfortunately, it seemed Jakotsu wouldn't return for some time, and Bankotsu has no idea how to handle a crying child; he almost felt bad about pulling his hair away from her.

A small hiccup escapes her followed after by a whimper as her lips suddenly quivered. Her face reddened, and he watched almost helplessly as she inhaled a deep breath.

"Don't you dare…" He replied and just as she was about to unleash an ear-piercing cry, he immediately handed her his braid. It took a few moments for her to register why his braid had fallen in front of her face, but when it did, she grabbed hold of it with a brightened smile. "Miinnnneee!"

Ψ

The scenery around Jakotsu changed from rocky terrain to one that was grassy. The blades of grass reached well past his ankles as he trudged along the pasture of some old farmer who was out doing field work. It made no difference if the old man saw him or not; all he wanted was a little bit of milk to feed Gome back at the cave.

The first cow he saw was among many others, and as he hopped the fence, careful of his kimono catching on a nail, he sat his bucket down and examined the creature. There was only one question that weighed heavily on his mind.

"How the hell do I milk one of these?"

Back and forth, Jakotsu circled the cow, eyeing every which way and that. Its tail kept whipping back and forth, swatting at the flies attempting to land on its rear end, but even as he placed his hand there, patting it gently, he couldn't figure it out. He grabbed the tail at first, turning it clock wise and counter clock wise to eventually pulling, but that only seemed to upset the animal. This time he stepped around the front, but he had a strange suspicion that the milk lied somewhere underneath.

Bending down in the grass, his eyes caught sight of a peach colored baggy organ hanging outside of the underside belly. From there, he saw at least five elongated nipples sticking out from the rounded sack.

A smile lit up his face. "Well if those aren't tits then I don't know what are!"

Ψ

Later that day, Jakotsu finally returned back to the cave, the bucket of warm milk rather heavy in his grasp. He hoped it was worth it, for Gome's sake at least. As much as she was a nuisance a while back always getting in between him and Inuyasha, he had to admit, she wasn't too bad as a baby.

Entering inside the cave, the young mercenary was surprised to see Bankotsu asleep on the cave floor. Beside him, rolling around on the ground giggling was Kagome herself. To Jakotsu, she looked like she was having a good time, playing and grabbing the leader's hair and throwing it every which way. Not just anyone could play with Bankotsu's hair.

"Well aren't you special, Gome…" Setting the bucket down, he reached out for the child and sat down. He had his back turned to Bankotsu and occasionally looked back to make sure he was sleeping and not faking. "Looks like you tuckered daddy ban ban out, huh?" He asked, and from her laughter, he grinned.

Looking at the bucket of milk, he wondered if it would be weird to feed Kagome like so. There was no way Kagome could simply drink from a bucket without drowning in it or getting her pretty clothes dirty; he certainly wouldn't allow that.

With one last look back at Bankotsu sleeping, he opened up his shirt a little and dipped his finger into the bucket of warm milk. After that, he dabbed the liquid onto his nipple and brought Kagome closer to his chest to suckle. "Okay Gome. Let's try this again. A little more gently."

Kagome had complied easily enough, her lips already upon it, and he flinched when her small teeth bit into him. Gently never came and it took all of his will power to not scream. Unfortunately, it was the same nipple from before that Kagome had bit earlier, and he pulled her away.

"How does a woman breast feed without screaming?" He asked himself. As he saw the confusion upon the child's face, he glanced down and saw that the milk was gone. Once again, he dabbed his finger into the bucket and he repeated the process; doing so made him feel somewhat more like a woman, but he still flinched from every bite.

Having heard the sudden gasp and feminine squeal within the small enclosed cave, Bankotsu stirred from his sleep and sat up yawning. If he had to guess, he was sure Jakotsu was playing with Kagome again, but as he looked behind him, towards the source of the noise, he saw Jakotsu with his back towards him.

Curious as to why he kept flinching and making those painful noises, the leader stood up and peeked over his shoulder, but not before pulling away in surprise. "What are you doing?"

Caught off guard by his voice, Jakotsu jumped in surprise, his face reddened in embarrassment. "Big brother! Oh well … I'm feeding Gome…" Turning around in his seated position, he watched as his older brother sat before him, his brow arched and his arms crossed.

"I'm starting to get second thoughts on you raising this kid…" He replied nonchalantly to Jakotsu.

His face flustered at this, and he felt Kagome pull away from his chest to look between the two curiously. "Just because I don't have breasts doesn't mean I can't take care of a baby."

Bankotsu sighed. "You could have just used a leather pouch for her to drink out of."

His eyes brightened at this. Well that was a better idea than what he originally thought. In fact, it was a way better idea than having a child suck on places that weren't meant to be sucked on a man. "You're right. What was I thinking?"

"By the way Jakotsu. Did you get any dinner on your way back?"

Jakotsu sweat dropped. "I forgot," He laughed.

A sudden yawn brought their attention back onto Gome in Jakotsu's lap. She was tiredly rubbing her eyes. Moving away from Jakotsu, she reached out for Bankotsu and a little hesitant at first, he picked her up and laid her in his lap. With one final yawn, she cuddled into his chest and closed his eyes, his dark braid held tightly within her small hands.

Jakotsu gushed at the sight. "Seems like she has taken a liking to you, big brother. How about being her daddy Bankotsu?" He nudged the leader, and he only smiled at him with a shake of his head.

Mercenary or not, who could refuse such a small baby? Though he wouldn't really admit it aloud, Bankotsu was rather fond of the girl. That didn't change their plans to use her for one instant though. "She's not too bad. She sure can whine though, Jakotsu. We've got our hands full on this one." Ever so softly, he rubbed his finger under her chin and was surprised when she said two little words, he never thought he'd hear ever.

"Da…da."


	3. A Messy Situation

Chaos.

That was exactly what Renkotsu and Suikotsu saw when they finally returned after their three-day disappearance. The cave was in shambles, or to be more precise, the inside was a complete mess. Jewels, ribbons and many accessories belonging to women of noble birth were lain strewn throughout the cavern floor. As they stood before the entrance to the cavern, a bundle of herbs in Renkotsu's basket, they watched as Bankotsu and Jakotsu darted from one area of the cavern to the next, trying to soothe a crying child.

The screaming which vociferated from a naked toddler was enough to make one's ears bleed, and Suikotsu couldn't help but cover them, a slight grimace on his face.

They had searched high and low for the herbs Renkotsu needed for his concoction, but the fool had led him astray down mountains, in caverns, across treacherous rivers only to have remembered they were never that far from their location to begin with.

"Calm down, Gome … calm down," Jakotsu cooed as motherly as he could, bouncing the child in his arms, but her wailing only increased.

Bankotsu stumbled next to him, holding out a leather pouch for the child, but she only slapped it out of his hand, much to his irritation. "Damn it Jakotsu, she won't shut up!"

As the two approached the disorganized pair, Suikotsu couldn't help but pinch his nose, turning his head away from them. "What the hell is that stench? It smells like shit!"

Realizing they weren't alone, Bankotsu took Kagome out of Jakotsu's arms, much to his brother's dismay and pushed the child into Suikotsu's arms. "Here! Take her! I can't do this anymore!"

With his hair disheveled about his back and dark bags lying under his once sparkling eyes, Jakotsu immediately took the child out of Suikotsu's arms, much to the crazed man's relief. "I told you not to feed her that! Gome didn't like it to begin with!" Jakotsu scolded, glaring at Bankotsu heatedly, though he only shrugged it off.

"I don't see what the big deal is. A little dear meat doesn't hurt anyone!" Bankotsu retorted, moving away from his companions to lean against the wall, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed in annoyance. The entire situation was really starting to piss him off. As cute as the child was, raising her into a deadly weapon to use against Inuyasha and his friends was proving rather difficult. Bankotsu was a mercenary, the type of person who was profited for his skillful killings. Taking care of a child was not in his line of work, and if he could, he would have silenced her the moment she opened her mouth.

While Jakotsu bounced the wailing child in his arms, circling the cave tiredly, Suikotsu couldn't help but notice something strange spotted on the cavern floor around Jakotsu's sandaled feet. Squinting his gaze, he immediately blanched, his face contorting into a disgusted expression. "There's fucking shit droppings all over this place!" He warily checked his sandals for any remnants he might have stepped in. When he saw the familiar spots on the back of his sandals, he scowled, cursing as he stepped out of the cave to wipe his feet clean in the grass.

A dribble of saliva fell from the child's mouth, and as Jakotsu wiped his sleeve to clean her face, he immediately paled. The child's face had contorted into a sickly one, her cries immediately silenced. "No no no, Gome! Not here! Bankotsu help me!"

The mercenary in question opened his eyes and arched a brow at his feminine companion. "Oh no Jakotsu. What did we talk about? You wanted to be her mother, so it's  _your_  responsibility now. I'm staying out of it."

Before he could run out of the cave, the child had vomited onto his kimono, the stench alone was enough to gag him. Brown and white chunks, along with a hot liquid coated his clothing, and he held Kagome out away from him as he grimaced. Immediately after, she seemed fine.

At the sight of his friend's dramatic pause with Kagome held out at arms-length away from himself, he couldn't help but make a face. Upon noticing the child's peaceful expression, no longer ill from her previous meal, Bankotsu pushed away from the wall to stand beside a still Jakotsu. "Well look at that. You did it Jakotsu! I didn't think you had it in you," He chuckled teasingly.

Renkotsu, who had been standing there the entire time watching silently, couldn't help but approach the three, keeping a short distance away from Jakotsu and the child. "We have acquired the necessary herbs that will bring about Inuyasha's downfall," He explained, displaying the basket to Bankotsu, who knelt down to look at it with interest and relief.

Pleased it had taken less than four days, Bankotsu patted his smart companion on the shoulder. "That's great. Well get started on that concoction. You mentioned before it would only take a couple hours, right?"

Renkotsu nodded. "Yes, brother." As he made his way to the back of the cave, disappearing from view, Suikotsu finally re-entered the cave, his scowl never once leaving his face.

Pleased Suikotsu had returned, Bankotsu turned to him and to Jakotsu, who was finally coming out of his almost traumatized state. "Alright, now that she's calm, this place needs cleaned up. Suikotsu and Jakotsu, get started."

Though they were displeased they were left alone to handle the mess as Bankotsu left the cave to relax, the two reluctantly obeyed. While Jakotsu handled the child, Suikotsu went out with a wooden bucket in hand to fetch some clean water. The only close source of water was a river just below the mountain, a somewhat short hike down the steep incline.

As Suikotsu cursed yet again, disappearing from the cave, Jakotsu placed the child down, away from the mess she had made earlier. Not even worried about stripping in front of the child, Jakotsu shredded his Kimono, tossing it outside the cave to burn later. Fortunately, he still had several kimonos he had stolen on his previous missions, many with elaborate embroidery, and he was sure he could find something suitable for Gome soon enough.

Ψ

An hour passed since then, and while Renkotsu had yet to return from the deepest part of the cave, the three mercenaries were gathered together, sitting in a circle around the small child. Earlier, Jakotsu had placed the child into a bucket of water, and while the temperature was too cold for Gome's liking, he managed to clean her good enough. The child was dressed in a light blue kimono with pink flowers stitched into the fabric, her hair lying messily over her shoulders with a butterfly hairpin holding some strands out of her face.

"Thank god you guys got back," Jakotsu replied, sighing as he leaned back on his hands. Taking care of a child was definitely a lot harder than he first thought. Reaching over to his side, he grasped an elaborated golden hand-held mirror and gasped at his reflection. "Look at my beautiful face. I have bags under my eyes!" He cried, pouting.

"You were the one that was excited to have a daughter, Jakotsu," Suikotsu remarked, glaring as the child tapped his leg. He had every intention to kick the child away, but knowing how protective Jakotsu was of her, he held back. "Is it too much for you to handle being a mother?"

"It it! Sui … it it!" Gome voiced happily, pulling on his pant legs, much to his displeasure.

Smiling at the child, Jakotsu looked at his brother beside him. "Regardless if she's a nightmare at times, she is still my little princess."

He chuckled at his reply and crossed his arms, staring at the child arrogantly before looking back at Jakotsu. "Well your  _little princess_  is going to grow up pretty soon. So be prepared for all those hormones."

Lowering the wooden cup filled with Sake, Bankotsu finally looked up at the two, noticing Jakotsu's sudden startled expression. His companion was right; very soon they would be handling a teenager.

"You're right!" Jakotsu replied, looking at Gome very seriously before pulling her onto his lap. "She'll grow up to be so beautiful, all the men will be chasing her!" He held her close to him, cuddling up against the child motherly like. "I'll never let her go. She doesn't deserve some common peasant man."

Suikotsu and Bankotsu arched a brow. It seemed Jakotsu was getting a little too carried away with raising the child. As far as they knew, they didn't really have any other use for Kagome, other than eliminating Inuyasha and his cumbersome friends. Yet it seemed Jakotsu had thoughts about a future after that.

"Gome deserves a  _real_  man. One with money!" He clarified. A sudden thought came to his mind suddenly, and he pulled away from Kagome, a smile suddenly lighting up on his face. "I've got it! As soon as she's old enough, we're marrying her off to a rich Lord!"

Bankotsu couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose, shaking his head at his companion. "Jakotsu, who's to say she'll be with us that long? The main reason we have her with us is to eliminate Inuyasha."

"Yeah, I'm not babysitting her any longer after that!" Suikotsu remarked, scowling at the very thought. The next thing he knew, the child would possibly call him uncle or some other strange name of endearment. The thought repulsed him.

They were right. Gome was nothing more than just a weapon, but after spending time taking care of her in this form, Jakotsu couldn't possibly let her go after that. "Well … that can still happen. My little princess can still have her happy ending!"

There was no point in arguing with him. Once Jakotsu had his mind set on something, he stuck with it, despite his older brother's orders. Bankotsu had denied him several times to battle Inuyasha in the past, wanting to selfishly face the half demon himself, regardless of his brother's feelings. He supposed he could let Jakotsu have this moment of happiness until he tired of it.

A sudden gasp escaped Jakotsu, and his brothers looked at him confusedly. "She'll need advice about  _that._  You know, that time of the month. I've never bled down there before, but I've heard it's very painful for any woman, guys. What do we do?" He asked.

"Don't ask me!" Suikotsu spat.

Jakotsu turned to Bankotsu, knowing full well his older brother had slept with hundreds of women. Surely, he knew a thing or two about those types of situations. "You've been with lots of women, haven't you ever seen them on their monthly cycle?"

While he had been taking a sip of his Sake, he couldn't help but choke suddenly, coughing as the fluids went down the wrong pipe. He turned his flustered gaze at Jakotsu before setting his cup to the side. "Not when we're doing it!" The very thought of being with a woman intimately during her monthly cycle was a major turn off for the mercenary; he didn't want to even think about it, let alone engage in it.

Their feminine brother was surprised to hear this. As Bankotsu attempted to regain his sense of normalcy among them, Jakotsu turned to his other brother beside him. "Suikotsu?"

"The only time I've seen women bleed is when I'm slicing them open."

He sighed. "You're no help, you sick bastard." What was he going to do then? What were either of the brothers going to do when she became older? If Renkotsu's potions worked as quickly as he explained they would, then it was just a matter of time before she started going through the changes of life. "What will we do about that?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Bankotsu replied.


	4. Guns and Sake Part 1

It was finally complete. The potion, which had only taken a couple hours to concoct, was finally ready for the child to take. Its contents were poured into a small leather pouch, the rest stored away for later use.

Smirking at his achievement, Renkotsu pushed aside the basket of what was left of the herbs, and he took the pouch into his hand before making his way back to rejoin his brothers. His small work area, filled with machinery, and what was left of his small selection of guns and ammo, as well as all his notes and reports on various wars and machines were nestled at the back of the cave, tucked away and out of notice.

As he made his way in the direction near the exit of the cave, he heard the familiar sounds of Suikotsu and Bankotsu talking amongst themselves. It seemed night was slowly approaching, and he couldn't help the yawn which escaped him.

Seated around a small fire, Bankotsu glanced over his shoulder, as well as Suikotsu, before flashing a smile at the mercenary. "Well, how did it go? Were the herbs enough to create the potion?"

Stopping before them, he held up the leather pouch, his smile mimicking that of his brothers. "They were enough. Now all that's left is to give it to her. There should be enough to last us a while, if we are careful. We'll need to watch how many dosages we give to her."

Bankotsu nodded. It felt like they were finally making progress, as slow as it was taking them. As his cerulean eyes fell onto Jakotsu across from him and the others, he saw the mercenary tucking the child into a bed of blankets, her head carefully nestled onto the expensive silken pillows. From his perspective, the child was out like a light, softly snoring as Jakotsu cooed.

"I can't wait until she is older … this whole baby crap is annoying," Suikotsu replied, scowling at the child before biting into the dear meat in front of him.

"How many dosages do we give her?" Bankotsu asked, curiously eying the pouch. To be honest, he was amazed by his brother's knowledge of certain things, his skills in reading and writing, not to mention arithmetic, and the ability to change one's age and mind to fit his own.

"Considering what happened after we stole her from the forest when I made her drink one of my concoctions, I believe giving her a large dosage will only age her faster. Since she is still so young, we should start out with small dosages," Renkotsu replied.

"Once a day?" Suikotsu asked.

The older mercenary shook his head. "Not likely. The herbs are highly lethal. If we give her too much, the chances of her becoming poisoned and losing her life, are highly plausible. I would say once a week at best."

Once a week? "I ain't waiting that long. You've got to be kidding me, Renkotsu! I can't put up with that kid any longer."

Bankotsu sighed. "Like it or not, it's our best option, Suikotsu. Besides, Inuyasha and his friends are far away from us. My guess is, within a month or two, she'll be the age she was before, and she'll be on our side and less of a handful."

Two months? Surely it wouldn't take that long. Turning, Suikotsu turned back towards his feminine brother, squinting his eyes as he watched him brush back a strand of the child's hair from her face. "Wake her up. The potion is ready."

Hearing this, Jakotsu made a face. "But I already tucked her in. If we wake her now, she'll only become fussy."

"On the contrary, Jakotsu, one of the side effects will put her out within a few minutes," Renkotsu explained, easily bringing a smile to Suikotsu.

"Then that settles it. Wake her up."

Ψ

A high-pitched feminine scream rang out within the cave that early morning, and the brothers who heard Jakotsu's cry, stirred from their sleep, their attention focused intensely on the back of Jakotsu's head beside them.

"What the hell happened?!" Suikotsu asked, his bladed gloved raised behind Jakotsu. He had just been sleeping so nicely too, dreaming of slaughtering an entire village full of children, until now.

As Bankotsu and Renkotsu got up from their place on the cavern floor, they stepped past Suikotsu and looked in the direction Jakotsu was staring. To their amazement, the child had grown at least two more years, her age certainly around four years old.

Jakotsu's eyes sparkled and his smile widened drastically as he looked upon Gome. "It worked brothers!"

The child had not only grown a bit taller, but her hair had also grown rather long as well; it now fell in long waves along her back. The pink kimono Jakotsu had fitted her into just yesterday was no longer bulky on her small frame and it now fit her quite nicely. Her large eyes were staring back up at Jakotsu, her smile wide and endearing. It was to his astonishment that she was now standing on her own two feet, no longer crawling about like she was yesterday.

Bankotsu shook his head approvingly to Renkotsu. "You did well, Renkotsu. This sorcery of yours will definitely come to great use, for certain."

Bending down, Jakotsu held out his arms to Gome, smiling as the child looked up him and his brothers. "Come here, Gome. Come to mommy!"

Smiling, Gome stepped closer to Jakotsu, but it was to his disappointment the child had completely walked past him, her little arms extended outwards. "Daddy!" She called out, her eyes gazing upon Bankotsu.

The mercenary in question blinked at the child and smirked, bending down to envelope her in a small hug. "Well look at this, I guess I really am a dad now."

Although it was a moment to celebrate, Suikotsu couldn't help but smugly look away from his place on the floor. She only aged by what, two years? That wasn't very much progress in his opinion. He still had a feeling she would continue crying, and he wasn't sure how much more his ears could take. Hopefully by now she could at least potty on her own without the need of any of her brothers. The last thing he wanted was to step in shit again.

Ψ

A couple hours went by after this extraordinary event, and while Bankotsu and Renkotsu were busy discussing their future strategies, Jakotsu was enjoying every minute beside Gome.

From time to time, Suikotsu glanced over, watching irritably as his younger brother dressed the child in many different colored kimonos, the styles slightly different from previous kimonos he'd stolen in the past. And abundant of intricate and beautiful jewels decorated the cavern floor beside his feet, and when he looked over again, he saw the child adorned in many necklaces and a small amount of pink rouse on her pouty lips.

"There! Aren't you just beautiful, Gome!" Jakotsu cooed, picking her up and twirling around the cave joyously. "You've gotten so much prettier now!"

Not disturbed by the frequent twirling, Gome happily laughed, her arms held out on either side of her as her mother danced with her. When he stopped, she looked over to Suikotsu, her arms reaching out for her brother. "Brother Sui!"

Jakotsu laughed. "Aw, she wants you, Suikotsu," he teased. "Do you want to hold her?"

He gave her a glare and raised his gloved blades at him and the child. "Does it look like I want her near me?"

"Well someone got up on the wrong side of life today," Jakotsu grumbled, but he didn't let her brother's attitude get to him. Looking at the child in his arms, he poked her nose playfully. "I need to go out and run some errands, you guys."

When he said this, Renkotsu and Bankotsu, who'd been conversing across the cave, looked over curiously, along with Suikotsu. Where was Jakotsu running off to so early in the morning?

Placing the child down and allowing her to crawl about the floor as much as she wanted, Jakotsu began sorting through his treasure chests, returning what was left of the jewelry back inside, along with the kimonos strewn around the cave. "I was thinking of stopping at a village and picking up some stuff for Gome."

Suikotsu blinked at this, watching as the mercenary began his trek towards the exit of the cave. "Since when do you simply shop at a village?" Of course, he couldn't help but arch a brow at this strangeness.

Suddenly stopping, Jakotsu's eyes widened and he turned back around, his cheeks flushing slightly. He was right. What was he thinking? "You know, you're right Suikotsu. I'd get too distracted killing them to even buy their stuff. I almost lost my mind for a minute there," He laughed, and his brothers couldn't help but sweat drop. "Well, then I guess I'll find some rich lord nearby and steal his stuff." Only the best suited his daughter.

"How long will you be gone?" Renkotsu called out.

Jakotsu mused for a moment. "I'm not sure. Let me see … I'll try to be back in a couple hours," He replied before looking at Gome who was staring back at him confusedly. Jakotsu smiled and waved at the child. "Mommy will be back in a little bit, Gome. You be a good girl now, okay?"

Suikotsu glared at this. He wasn't going to leave the kid with them, was he? He was not going to babysit the brat. "Wait a minute Jakotsu!"

But the feminine mercenary only glared at the brother, his arms placed on either side of his hips. "There better not be a scratch on my dear sweet Gome when I get back!" He warned before turning away from the cave and disappearing down the mountain.

While Suikotsu was grumbling to himself, Bankotsu suddenly reached for his halberd lying against the wall before lifting it over his shoulder comfortably. "Speaking of heading out, I need to leave as well," He replied. "You two stay here while I hunt for our lunch and supper. You two are capable of handling this child while we're gone, right?"

"Are you serious?" Suikotsu asked, and as his leader waved goodbye from the cave, he turned back to Renkotsu beside him, before looking back at Gome who was now at his feet, tugging at his pants. "Damn it!"

Ψ

Jakotsu and Bankotsu were gone longer than they anticipated. Since their disappearance, Renkotsu had thought it they step outside with the child. Renkotsu was looking through some of his machinery which had recently been destroyed by the half demon and his friends, while Suikotsu was put in charge of keeping watch on Gome.

An hour ago, Renkotsu had cut down some trees down the mountain and carried it back towards their cave, the multiple stacks lying around them in large piles. With this amount of wood, they would be prepared for many cold nights.

While Renkotsu was distracted by his machinery a few feet away, Suikotsu, who was standing idly around completely bored, looked behind him. He saw Gome, dressed up in her pink kimono, running around the grass with a large smile on her face. Her fascination with being outside only brought a sigh from him.

How much longer did they have to wait? Oh, how he wanted to step out and just decimate an entire village or castle, but he couldn't because of this kid. He was itching to get some action and get some blood coated on his fingers.

"Brother Sui!" Gome called out suddenly. "Come play!"

Hearing her call out to Suikotsu, Renkotsu turned away from his machinery and laughed. It seemed the child had grown attached to the grumbling brother, as much as it bothered Suikotsu. "Why don't you entertain her?"

"I don't think so."

Renkotsu shook his head at this. "You know, she isn't so bad, Suikotsu. So far, she hasn't been that much of a handful."

"Brother Sui!"

His eye twitched, and he glared at her over his shoulder. She was running around chasing a butterfly, laughing joyously despite his aggravation. If she called him  _Sui_ one more time…

Something caught his attention, and when he called to Renkotsu to have a look, the two brothers then looked down the mountain path. Two travelers were making their way up the mountain, behind them a horse was pulling a large cart filled with multiple crates and barrels.

A smirk fell onto Suikotsu's lips. Finally, he could get in with some action he'd been dreaming off since a few days ago! It was almost too good to be true.

Renkotsu suddenly moved to stand beside his brother. "Keep watch on Gome. I'm going to see what sort of things they have stored away."

His smirk fell. "What? She isn't going anywhere," He commented, pointing to the child now sitting in the grass playing with the flowers beside her.

Despite his brother's impatience, Renkotsu only shook his head. "Regardless, just keep an eye on her. I won't be long." With that, he stepped away from Suikotsu and made his way down the path towards the two travelers.

While Suikotsu was not pleased with this, Renkotsu on the other hand waved to the two men before him. "Hello!" He called out, and they waved back, their expressions somewhat bewildered by the man on the mountain but otherwise pleased there were others around.

"Morning," One replied, bending over slightly to catch his breath from the long walk up the mountain. "We haven't seen any others around for miles," He replied wiping the sweat from his brow.

"What are you doing up here?" He asked curiously. "I've heard these mountains are treacherous and that no other man has come even this close to the mountain."

Renkotsu nodded. "Well the higher you go up the treacherous it becomes. My brothers and I have taken shelter in a cave just up the hill there for a short time. The view is positively amazing."

One of the men smiled at this, turning around to look upon the view of the plain below. It was a magnificent sight, he had to agree. "I'd say. That was one of the reasons we traveled this far. We're actually hoping to reach the very top. Mainly it's for personal reasons, of course."

"How is the wildlife from up here?"

Renkotsu only smiled. "It's minor. Hardly see many animals from up here, except the occasional deer or some birds."

Ψ

What was taking so long? Suikotsu was becoming frustrated. Why was Renkotsu simply talking with them instead of killing them? It made no sense. He paced above the hill, looking from the people back to Gome, who was still sitting in the grass, this time pulling weeds as if it was the most interesting thing in the world to do.

Well at least one of them was enjoying themselves, but Suikotsu couldn't say the same for him. He could just so easily walk down there and cut their throats and then that'd be the end of it, but no, Renkotsu said to stay and watch the kid.

He was becoming frustrated. Was Renkotsu still talking to them? For the love of Kami, just kill them! He began tapping his foot incessantly.

Ψ

Renkotsu nodded. "I noticed you were carrying with you a handful of crates? Surely you don't plan to travel with those up the mountain? The path up ahead is less easily traveled, I'm afraid…"

Hearing this, their smiles fell. That certainly wasn't good news. Of the men, who'd seen Renkotsu's curious stare at the crates, smiled and motioned for him to come around the cart. As he opened on of the covers to the crates, Renkotsu's eyes widened.

There was a huge quantity of guns and ammo in the cart, and from the looks of it, they were imported from overseas. The likes of it fascinated Renkotsu, and he couldn't help but hold up one of the guns to examine it. There was enough to decimate multiple villages.

"Amazing…"

One of them smirked at this before propping open one of the barrels. "But that's not all. Take a look at this!"

Curious of what else they had stored away in this cart, Renkotsu placed the gun back onto the cart and peered into one of the barrels. To his amazement, he saw over a dozen jars of Sake within. From the amount, he was sure Bankotsu would be pleased.

These people really planned to take all this to the very top of the mountain? How strange and yet it was fortuitous for them. Just when Renkotsu was running low on ammo and guns, now he didn't have to worry.

"Renkotsu, what's taking you?!"

The mercenary sweat dropped at his brother's voice from up on the small hill looking down at them impatiently.

The two men, who hadn't expected to see another person on the mountain, looked up at the brother of Renkotsu, or at least, who they presumed his brother was. From a short distance, they noticed he was dressed in battle armor and his hair short and wild about his head. His eyes were narrowed somewhat dangerously towards them and looking closer, they saw what seemed to be paint on his face.

"Is that your brother?" One asked, looking back at Renkotsu, who had once again picked up the gun to examine. With a second glance, he realized this man was also wearing armor and had strange markings of paint on his face. How strange.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you dressed as if you are ready for war?" The other asked curiously, watching Renkotsu closely.

For a moment, Renkotsu turned the gun every way, examining its exteriors calmly before looking back at the two men. "Well, that's because we're mercenaries."

They paled.

Smirking suddenly, he pulled back on the trigger of the gun and the bullets flew into the first man's skull, an instant death which pleased Suikotsu and his brother. Another shot escaped his gun, and just like the first, the second fell.

"I was running low on bullets. How fortuitous of us, right brother?" Renkotsu asked, noticing his brother suddenly right beside him.

As Suikotsu suddenly began rummaging through the cart, he pulled out the handfuls of Sake, smirking elatedly. "Oh, hell yes! Now this is what I'm talking about!"

While Renkotsu sorted through the crates, finding more ammo and guns nestled deeper inside, he pulled on the reins of the horse and made their way back up the hill. "You should have stayed and watched over the child."

"She isn't going anywhere," He replied back, pulling off the cork to one of the many bundles of Sake before taking a swig, swallowing the alcohol hungrily. "She was too engrossed with those weeds. See, she's right ther—" He pointed, but to his surprise, the child was gone.

Renkotsu turned and glared at his brother. "You were saying?"

"Shit!"


	5. Chapter 5

If there was one thing Suikotsu greatly disliked, it was babysitting; who would have guessed a small toddler could give him so much trouble? He’d only turned his back for a mere moment to inspect the interesting cargo Renkotsu had stumbled upon, filled with gunpowder and alcohol, but that mere second was all it needed for the little brat to disappear on them.

He cursed his luck. The last thing he needed was for Bankotsu and Jakotsu to go off on him, especially Jakotsu; his younger brother tended to act a little too overly dramatic and had a temper about him that couldn’t compare to his older brother.

Suikotsu and Renkotsu searched the mountain high and low, hoping to find some means of tracking the small child, but to their dismay, there were no visible tracks found, in fact, they feared the worst. Worse case scenario, the child might have tumbled off the cliffside, and if that was the case, then their efforts to use the priestess against Inuyasha would be in vain.

Scratching his head irritably, Suikotsu nearly plummeted his fist into the bark of a lonely tree, but he held back, clenching his fists as he tried to search for some explanation to give to his brothers upon their return. No matter what excuse he could possibly come up with, he knew it was futile.

“Glaring won’t make her reappear,” Renkotsu blatantly replied, eyeing him coolly with one hand positioned on his waist. “We have no choice. There’s no possible way she’s managed to climb the hills ahead. Let’s backtrack down the mountain. She may still be within sight.”

“Fine.”

Since they weren’t too high up, they descended the path, crossing over the blood-stained ground of the two travelers Renkotsu had shot earlier, and eventually traveled a short distance until they noticed something black moving in a patch of grass ahead, nearly covered by towering weeds and flowers.

Irritated, Suikotsu marched towards the grass, the small child completely unaware of his approach. The moment he had her in his grasp, he would give her an earful and tie her up in the cave so she couldn’t move; he knew he might receive a reprimanding from Jakotsu if anything, but at least it was better than bringing home the child’s corpse.

Before Suikotsu and Renkotsu could reach even ten feet of Gome, they noticed movement in the grass near the child. With no time to react, two brown furred wolves leapt from their hiding spot, snatched the child by the back of her pink kimono and carried her off down the mountain.

“Goddamn it! Of all the bad luck!” He cursed.

Whistling low, Renkotsu nudged Suikotsu after him. “We can cut them off up ahead!”

“That’s it. I’m not playing these games!”

 

**Author Notice**

**Are you all alright with this story having one page chapters? I feel this is the only way I can keep myself motivated to write this. Please let me know. Doing this also helps to update faster, especially considering I have so many others stories I'm working on. Please let me know.**


	6. Chapter 6

Ginta and Hakaku sighed, their leader, Kouga, nowhere to be seen. It’d been days now since they heard the news from Inuyasha and his friends about what had happened. Kagome had disappeared; it was enough to send Kouga into a flying rage, quarreling with the half demon about not keeping his eye on her, and in the end, Kouga and their search party had scouted high and low for the missing girl, but as the days turned into weeks, it seemed almost impossible at this point.

What happened to sister? Did she and the half demon get into another argument? Was it possible she was kidnapped? The most troubling out of all of this was the immediate disappearance of her scent. Normally one’s smell would linger for days, but it had vanished the moment she did. How troublesome. Should Kouga find Kagome, it was almost likely he’d never give her up to the half demon again.

“Do you think Naraku got his hands on her?”

“I’m not sure, but he is after the Shikon Jewel, right?”

“But Inuyasha and his friends has it. I wonder if Naraku is planning to lure Inuyasha into a trap. But if it was Naraku, that baboon would have at least mentioned he had her, right?”

Pulling his grub from the fire, the salmon roasted medium rare, Hakaku savored the scent. Ever since sister introduced them to cooked meat, they couldn’t seem to get enough of it. The fire really did bring out the flavor much more than raw meat ever could.

Unexpectedly, the sound of wolves howling nearby drew the two brothers away from their feast, their eyes turning curiously when two of their canine friends jumped from the bushes. And yet, they hadn’t expected to see a small child in one’s mouth, barely hanging still by the back of her kimono.

“Hey, what did we say about attacking humans?” Hakaku chastised. 

“You crazy wolves! Kouga forbids us from hunting humans! Kouga won’t be happy if he learns about this!”

There was a whimper, the wolves sharing a curious look with each other before dropping the child gently into the grass. As Gome giggled and pet the wolves without a care in the world, the canines curiously sniffed the child.

“Doggies so cute!” Gome giggled, clapping her hands elatedly.

The remark left the two smiling softly, but the fact that a small child was so far away from any village left them concerned. “I’m not sure where you took her from, but you should take her back before Kouga gets back.”

“Yeah, we don’t have time for this anyway. We’ve been given orders to search for sister, remember?” Ginta asked.

As if sensing something familiar, the wolves howled and barked at them, a conversation only understood in their language. When the two knelt down to hear their words clearer, their eyes widened as a response. 

"Huh? She smells like sister?” Ginta asked. How was that possible? Unless of course, Kagome had recently interacted with the child? What other possible explanation could there be?

Peering closer to look at the child, Hakaku acknowledge the intricate and shiny accessories adorning the child’s neck and hair, her kimono of the best quality imaginable, silk probably. “Looks like a lord’s daughter. But they’re right; she does smell similar to sister…” A striking familiarity caught Hakaku off guard, his finger pointed almost incredulously at the child. “Ginta, look!”

“What is it?” He asked, leaning over curiously to also inspect the child.

“Her eyes. See? They’re exactly like sisters.”

“Whoa, you’re right… Pretty rare among humans…” Ginta remarked just as surprised.

“Do you think…” Hakaku began thoughtfully. “sister had a kid?”

“If she did, Kouga would be devastated. Maybe she just smells like sister. They do look almost alike…” Waving his hand the shift the child’s attention away from the wolves, he managed to catch her curious bright blue eyes. “What’s your name?”

“Wolfie! Wolfie!” She replied, throwing her hands into the air before giggling again with excitement.

“I don’t think she can say much at her age yet, Ginta…”

“Well, we cant just leave her here,” He replied. “The longer she stays with us the more problems we’ll have.” Looking at the canines laying down by

Kagome’s feet, Ginta barked at them. “Look. If you take the child back to where you found her, without hurting her, then we promise not to tell Kouga. Okay?”

But before the wolves could reply to Ginta, there was an unexpected rustle in the bushes. Instinctively reaction, they stood their ground, hands positioned on their sword, but they never expected two humans to stumble into their clearing, humans adorned in battle armor and warpaint to be more exact.

“What the? Humans?”

“What do they want?” When Hakaku saw the scowls adorning their faces, one in particular raising his fist to reveal sharp blades, both he and Ginta stood their ground in front of the child. “You got a problem?!”

“So, you’re the ones controlling those wolves!” Suikotsu exclaimed irritably. “You got a lot of nerve. Hand the kid over!”

The kid? Shifting their gaze briefly to the child behind them, it wasn’t difficult for them to discern the great difference between her and these two men. The child most definitely belonged to a rich family while these guys looked nothing more than bandits up to no good. 

“And just who are you to this child? You don’t seem the type that takes care of children!” Ginta growled.

“The kids ours you disgusting mongrels!” Suikotsu replied scowling.

“Yours?” Hakaku found that almost difficult to believe. “Funny, because our wolves said they found her all by herself! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll back off! Do you have any idea whose pack you’re messing with?!”

“I could care less!” He replied bitterly. “Now fucking hand the girl over now or ill tear my blades through each of you and use your fur as our carpeting!”

Renkotsu cleared his throat, touching Suikotsu’s shoulder before flashing him a disapproving shake of his head. Looking back at the two wolf demons guarding Gome, he stepped forward and paused. “We took our eyes off her for a few minutes before we noticed your canines make off with her.”

“Big brothers!” Gome waved from behind the wolf demons. “Big sui! Ren Ren!”

Surprised the child seemed familiar with these strange and threatening men, the two wolf demons were completely taken aback, and realizing there was no need to protect the child, they stepped away. Still, they were somewhat wary of the entire situation. 

“Come here, Gome,” Renkotsu called softly. “Come to brother Renkotsu.” To his dismay, the child only frowned, hugging her small body close to one of the canines beside her.

“But … doggies…”

“We won’t say it again! Get over here!” Suikotsu barked, his annoyance only growing.

And Gome did the unthinkable, the most infuriating thing they’d ever witnessed her do. She turned up her nose, narrowed her large blue eyes, and shook her head from side to side. “No!”

“Excuse me…” Suikotsu’s eye twitched. 

Sighing, Renkotsu shout his brother a disapproving frown. “If you raise your voice at her you’ll only frighten and upset her further. When raising a child, you must handle the situation calmly.”

“Listen here, I’m not her father. Since her mother went out on an errand and her father is hunting, why don’t you handle it then? The brat is beginning to piss me off!”

In the end, Suikotsu had turned on his heels and marched off into the woods, his anger felt incredibly by the wolf demons who watched as Renkotsu stepped past them to pick up the child. To their surprise, the child had not refused the older man and had hugged him elatedly, talking gibberish about wolves before waving goodbye to them. 

“Bye bye, doggies!”

Once they were completely out of sight, Ginta and Hakaku shared a look. Returning to their forgotten food by the fire, they sat down, the wolves howling and barking in response to what had just happened.

“Do you think we should have let her go with them?” Hakaku asked worryingly.

“She called them her brothers, so I don’t see any reason why not. Besides, we don’t have time to worry about some other human. Don’t forget sister is missing.”


	7. Chapter 7

The tension within the cave could literally be cut with a knife. The moment the two brothers returned to the mountain, an awkward and irritating silence accompanied them, though it mostly involved Suikotsu and Gome.

"Is big brother Sui still mad at Gome?" The child asked, held in Renkotsu's arms, her wide-eyed gaze looking back at her brother across the cavern, his back to them.

On account of hearing the child's, Suikotsu's shoulders shook, and he turned with a scowl. "Hell I am! I'm furious! I told you to stay put and look what happened! You're lucky those wolves didn't eat you!" He loudly reprimanded, pointing his finger at her as he stood livid.

"But the doggies were nice!" She countered with a huff.

"Not everything in this world is butterflies and rainbows! You could have been seriously hurt and Jakot—" He cleared his throat. "I mean, your  _mother_ , would have been pissed at me! You shouldn't trust just anyone!"

Renkotsu cleared his throat. "Then, are you suggesting she shouldn't trust us?"

Hearing this, Suikotsu sweat dropped. Renkotsu had a point, and as much as he wanted to continue yelling at the child, he knew it was beyond her comprehension to understand danger, especially at her age. Annoyed, he turned his back to them once more. "Why am I wasting my time with you." Moving across the cavern, he made sure to put as much distance between him and the child before laying down on his back, one leg over the other with his arms behind his head.

"But! But!" Gome fussed.

Patting her head softly, Renkotsu only sighed. "Gome, big brother Sui is trying to say he was very worried about you when you disappeared like that," Seconds after making that remark to try and ease the child's discomfort, he heard Suikotsu laugh with disdain, but he ignored it.

"Gome Sorry!" She cried out to her big brother, but he did not reply to her. "Gome won't do it again!" Tears began to well in her eyes.

"I've heard that before!" Suikotsu remarked with a scoff.

Realizing her words were not enough to bring a smile to her older brother's face, Gome turned to Renkotsu. "Can Gome run out and get something really quick?"

Renkotsu's eyes turned towards the darkening skies outside, and he felt quite uneasy letting the child go off on her own once more. "It's getting late, Gome. Besides, it won't be long until your mother and Bankotsu return."

"I'll be really quick. Please?"

Sighing, he nodded, though as he placed her gently onto her feet, his eyes watched her as she ran out of the cave. She didn't stray very far, bending down just at the entrance to retrieve something in the grass before bounding back into the cave. In her small hand was a white flower, and he smiled at the child's approach to Suikotsu moments after. A flower for forgiveness, it seemed.

Collapsing to her knees, she held the offering out to Suikotsu, but he did not budge or even notice, his eyes closed as he ignored her. This time, she tugged at his shirt beneath his armor, but again he did not budge. "Big Brother, Sui!"

"What?" He growled, opening his eyes to look at her. "Go away. I'm tired of you," He shrugged off her touch.

"Gome sorry. Gome has a flower for you. Gome is sorry, big brother," She pleaded.

Noticing the white flower held tightly in her hand, he scoffed. "Get that damned monstrosity away from my face. I hate flowers!" He swiped his hand, causing the small bud to fall onto the ground, a petal tearing from its stem.

Gome's lips trembled, her eyes staring at the flower beside her, and then looking back to Suikotsu, his back now facing her, she felt her eyes well with tears. Big brother hated her. He was mad at her. Why wouldn't he forgive her? He shoulders trembled, and unable to hold back her hiccups, her hands tightened upon her pink kimono, the light application of makeup her mother had applied suddenly ruined. "Gome sorry! Gome won't do it again! Don't hate Gome!"

"You're too loud! Go away! I'm trying to sleep!"

But she didn't give up. Instead of backing off, she did the opposite and climbed onto his lap, sitting upon his midsection before latching her small hands onto his shirt. By this point, she noticed she had his complete attention, his eyes wide in surprise and mild annoyance. "No! Gome said sorry! Gome really really sorry!"

Fed up with the entire scene, Renkotsu felt his eye twitch in the background. "For goodness sake, just forgive her, Suikotsu!"

"Gomeee, I'm backkkkkk," A feminine voice suddenly sang, and with it, complete silence filled the cave. The androgynous man, dressed in his familiar light pink kimono, his hair adorned in feminine hairpins and his lips glossy with a pink tint, twirled elatedly at the entrance, a large back slung over his shoulder, and behind him, Bankotsu approached.

Suikotsu flinched, his face paling at the sight of his brother's return, and looking back at Gome seated upon his lap, tears streaming down her face, his eyes turned to Renkotsu pleadingly. Unfortunately for him, Renkotsu only sighed, turning to greet the two brothers on their swift return, but the silence still hung in the air.

Jakotsu noticed this. At first, he flashed his brothers a relieved smile, especially when he noticed his precious little girl playing with Suikotsu on the floor, but something was off. His sweet Gome had not welcomed him back, had not run into his arms with laughter. "Gome, I've got a surprise for you!" His voice sang once more, but again, his daughter did not budge.

But then, she turned finally, and he fell rigid at the sight. Tears streamed down her red cheeks, her expression distraught and his grip upon his bag fell loose, the contents spilling onto the floor. Jakotsu's little girl was crying.

"Gome sorry…" She sniffled. "Big brother Sui is mad…" She hiccupped.

Something snapped within Jakotsu, the very sight startling Suikotsu who sprang into a seated position, his hand held out to stop Jakotsu from doing anything reckless. "It's not like that, Jakotsu! She ran off and got into trouble, and I was only trying to … put her in her place…" He gulped. No matter which way he phrased it, he knew he was digging himself another grave.

"Put her in her place?!" His voice rose, fists clenching. "What did you do to my baby?!" All at once, he unsheathed his sword, and he approached Suikotsu.

"Gome was bad," The child expressed, causing Jakotsu to pause in his approach. "Gome made big brother Sui worried. Brother Ren and Sui couldn't find me," She sniffled, wiping at her eyes.

At the child's explanation, Suikotsu took that opportunity to wrap his arms around Gome, much to hers and everyone's surprise in the room. "That's right. See, I forgive you, Gome," He expressed as tenderly as he could, patting the child's head softly, while silently praying her tears would cease. "Now stop crying … Seriously, stop crying…" He whispered, his eyes warily watching Jakotsu across from him.

Gome's eyes widened, her blue eyes staring back at her brother incredulously. Did she hear him correctly? Did he really forgive her? "Really? You're not mad at Gome anymore?"

"Yeah. I forgive you. Right, Renkotsu?" He asked, and when the child was rewarded with her brother's confirmation, he relaxed when the child's tears stopped and a smile took its place.

Jakotsu squinted his eyes suspiciously, but when he saw his little girl hug the mercenary and kiss him on the cheek, he relaxed, sheathing his sword before retrieving his bag from the floor.

Bankotsu on the other hand, who'd been watching curiously, dinner slung over his shoulder, tossed it to the side by the fire. "Well aren't we just a happy family," He commented. "Good to see the kids are getting along." His comment caused Suikotsu to scowl.

"Big brother, you're back. I expect your expedition went well?" Renkotsu asked.

"That's right. "One boar and five rabbits," He replied, emptying one of his own sacks to reveal the corpses of the animals at his feet. "There's also a deer outside."

Positively delighted by the evenings catch and his own shopping spree in a nearby village, Jack approached Gome and Suikotsu, the small child still embracing her older brother. "Well, I spent most of the day shopping from many vendors," He revealed.

"Since when do you shop?" Renkotsu asked, raising a brow.

"Well, normally I'd just massacre an entire village and take what I want, but I was feeling incredibly adventurous. Besides, I didn't want any blood stains to ruin the beautiful clothing I saw. And to think, I didn't have to spend a single coin!" He giggled. "Come here, Gome. Look what mama bought for you!"

But the child did not move from Suikotsu, instead, her arms wrapped tighter around her older brother, her smile never wavering. "No."

Caught off guard by her refusal to see the goodies in his bag, Jakotsu paused. His little girl had never said no to him before, and finding her behavior entirely unusual, he tried once more. "Come, Gome. Look at all the nice clothes I bought for you!"

"No," She replied, snuggling her face into the crook of Suikotsu's neck. "Gome wants to spend time with big brother Sui."

"But, Gome…" Jakotsu frowned, hurt by her response. He'd been gone all day, and not once had his daughter greeted him with a smile or run into his arms. But above all things, she was clinging to the stubborn Suikotsu, a first or all, and he was accepting the child's affections, something he normally kept his distance from. He didn't like it. "I've been out all day shopping for you. Don't you want to see all the nice things I got?"

"Maybe later."

The response caused Suikotsu to smirk, and he tightened his arm around the little girl on his lap, the very action causing Gome to giggle elatedly; it also caused Jakotsu to stiffen in envy and annoyance. "Looks like I'm her favorite now," He laughed.  _'Seems like the kid has some purpose after all,'_  He thought.

"Give my daughter back!" Jakotsu growled, throwing himself at Suikotsu threateningly, but the instant he lunged, Suikotsu also moved, Gome held tightly in his grasp. "Gome, you come here right this instant!"

The sight of Jakotsu chasing after Suikotsu, his fist raised, caused a hearty laugh to escape Bankotsu and Renkotsu. Despite Suikotsu teasing Jakotsu, their hearts melted at the sight of Gome, raised into the air above Suikotu's head, her arms extended, having fun and laughing.


End file.
